The HotSpot - PlayStation Vita - 2/15/12

There comes a time in every device's life when it must leave its loving, protective creator to make its fortune in the world. PlayStation Vita: Now is your time. Having spent a week or so playing around with Sony's latest handheld, Kevin VanOrd, Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shea, Brendan Sinclair, and Tom Magrino deliver their verdict. (Hint: Most of us are big fans.) We also marvel over the success of Double Fine Adventure and snicker at the idea that Activision is an innovative company.

The HotSpot - PlayStation Vita - 2/15/12 by gamespot

Audio above, video below!

Now with more fan art!

Dave writes:
I was listening to your discussion about the Playstation Vita on the last Hotspot with great interest. One point I don't think you touched on is that console technology has been fairly static recently, whereas the average smartphone has been getting more and more powerful. Pretty soon there will be nothing that a Wii/Xbox/PSV can do that a smartphone can't do as well.

For example, there are already adapters available for plugging your smartphone into high-def TVs and watching movies. If you added some playstation-style controllers connected via bluetooth you could probably turn a smartphone into a portable gaming console fairly easily. Or develop some sort of clamshell that you slip the smartphone into in order to provide buttons and joysticks similar to the 3DS and PSP. The peripheral technology is already here today and it won't be long before the processing power available in your standard smartphone makes all of this possible.

As for the all-in-one versus dedicated gaming device argument; I travel a lot so I really like having one thing that does (almost) everything. It makes my life easier when I only need to carry around one power adapter, one headset, one USB cable, etc. I'm willing to trade some of my gaming experience for the added convenience of an all-in-one device. I think (one of) Magrino's points was that the industry is moving in this direction and in that I agree with him. But of course everyone is different so it's nearly impossible to develop a single device that'll completely satisfy everyone.